The Reason The LTD Isn't Selling...

[Walkinshaw]

Originally Posted by FALCONSR

no amount of money will make a caprice an LTD! :P

LTD has been a poor substitute for a caprice since 1998

[Gobes32]

IMHO the Caprice is a ten times better car than the LTD for LESS money!!! :

[banarcus]

The Fairlane and LTD suffered big time since the NF/DF came out. That time coincided with the release of the VR Stato, which was a better car(looking nothing like a Commodore)than the NF/DF and from then on, sales reflected on Ford's bad habit of resting on its laurels and taking the market for granted when it had market leadership.

[chevypower]

The VR Statesman was released a whole year before the NF Fairlane

[bigAl]

fairlanes/ltds are pig ugly, remind me of the toyota avalon

[banarcus]

Originally Posted by chevypower

The VR Statesman was released a whole year before the NF Fairlane

You see my point though

[ltd]

Originally Posted by bigAl

fairlanes/ltds are pig ugly, remind me of the toyota avalon

This thread has remarked constantly about the fairlanes and LTD's looking like their falcon stable mates. So if they are pig ugly, what do you think of the falcon then? Toyota camry perhaps?

[ltd]

Fundamentally, there is not that much wrong with the LWB cars, they just need to look a bit different, and offer a couple of unique features that aren't available on other models. For instance, LED tail lights with a different lens would cost relatively little, as the base mould is still roughly the same. Xenon lights would add some style, in head rest DVD kits cost $329.00 for the player and two screens from Dick Smith. Offering the turbo engine in both fairlane and LTD would substantially improve interest, offer the 245 in the fairlane and maybe the 270 in the LTD. Cross drilled rotors in the turbo and v8 models cost an average of $120.00 more per car from DBA, but the perceived value is greater. Also, 2 exclusive colours to the LWB family would do wonders to physically differentiate the two from the rest of the ford fleet. Oh, and for the LTD you have to bring back the copious amounts of gathered leather, add 15% length to each leather fitting and gather it. These are some more examples of what can be done, I have done most of these to a couple of BA LTD's as well as the dashboard centre woodgrain treatments; I like faux wood when compared to grey plastic.
Seriously though, subtle changes like these transform the car from a base model into a flagship, giving a feeling of comfort and refinement about them. I think the BA onwards in many respects solved a lot of the problems with the AU, just not enough was done to show the car as being the top of the fleet. The caprice is nice but it aint that much more special than a blinged up SS. Ford should really ask customers what they want.

[GXL078]

I didn't realise there were so many LTDs until I saw all the hire cars lined up outside Telstra stadium after the footy one night.

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by xcgxl

I didn't realise there were so many LTDs until I saw all the hire cars lined up outside Telstra stadium after the footy one night.

I think that you’ll find that the majority of those would be Fairlanes.

You don’t make any more money with an LTD and most of the people that they carry couldn’t tell the difference between the two anyway. It’s just to hard to justify the extra outlay when the Fairlane is as good as it is.